To verify electrical insulation and high potential, ATEC offers a range of precise hipot testers at affordable rates from Hipotronics, High Voltage Inc., and other trusted manufacturers.
What is Hipot Testing?
A hipot tester performs the most common electrical safety test to determine a product's electrical insulation and whether it can handle surges of high voltage. These transient over-voltages can be common, but can also cause damage to a device or cable.
The hipot test, also called a High Potential Test or Dielectric Withstand Test, requires high voltage applied to the Device Under Test (DUT). The extra voltage tests the limits of the device's electrical insulation, or whether current flows where it shouldn't. Any current leak between the conductor and chassis or ground could lead to safety risks like a shock hazard.
Hipot testing can reveal any of these common insulation issues:
- Crushed or nicked insulation
- Braided shielding
- Stray wire strands
- Corrosive or conductive contaminants around conductors
- Tolerance errors
- Terminal spacing problems
How to Use a Hipot Tester Rental
Follow these steps to make sure your hipot tester rental provides safe testing with precise results:
- Make sure the hipot test station is isolated from all manufacturing areas and the tester is turned off
- Connect the tester's ground lead to a grounding conductor
- Hook all hipot test leads to the DUT's wires of the same color
- Turn the hipot tester rental on, setting the meter to the desired voltage
- Begin the hipot test, usually lasting for either 1 minute or 1 second
- Record the resistance reading
- Run the test again, this time for high voltage
- Slowly raise the voltage, then leave at needed leave for the testing period
- Turn off the high voltage testing and return voltage dial to 0
- Repeat the hipot test on all phase conductors for phase-to-ground and phase-to-phase results
- Once finished, disconnect the hipot tester rental from all circuits and power sources
How to Choose the Right Hipot Test Equipment
High voltage hipot testing may require powerful equipment, but there are still other factors to consider. Before choosing a rental, make sure it's the right device for your hipot testing needs.
AC or DC Hipot Testing
Hipot testing equipment is available that provides either an AC or DC voltage. The decision can be simple if the DUT uses one of the currents or when following requirements from a testing agency, but there are other differences to consider.
An AC Hipot Test has a voltage that changes polarity, alternating between positive and negative. The DC Hipot Test slowly increases voltage, allowing users to better evaluate current leakage and other insulation issues.
Output Voltage
Hipot testing should always stress the limits of a product's insulation with an overwhelming voltage surge. The hipot tester should be capable of a voltage that meets the typical industry standard of twice the usual operating voltage plus 1000 V.
Hipot Test Standard
Manufacturers often rely on the dielectric withstand test and other hipot functions to certify for industry standards. To meet certain hipot test standards, the device must provide a specific voltage or current.
Hipot testing for IEC 60950-1 could be impossible with a model that only provides 2000 VAC. Similar strict requirements are needed for IEC 61010-1, IEC 60335-1, IEC 60601-1, and other common test standards. Manufacturers should make sure the device meets all hipot test standard needs before choosing a rental.